Obamacare could spur large companies to open worksite clinics, Mercer projects

More large employers are opening workplace primary-care clinics, a trend that Obamacare may speed, according to a survey from benefits consultant Mercer.

In a recent Mercer survey of 131 companies with 500 or more employees, 15 percent said they had an on-site primary-care clinic and another 11 percent said they were considering setting one up in the next two years. Among the largest employers, with 5,000 or more workers, the percentage intending to set one up was even higher, 15 percent. The sample represented a follow-up survey among the large-employer subset of the thousands who participated in Mercer’s annual survey of health benefits costs starting last May.

Clinics just to deal with occupational health are more common, about one-fourth of large employers.

Longer wait times for primary care has been predicted to result from more people getting insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act. But Mercer also notes on-site convenience could reduce lost work time and improve productivity. Employers surveyed rated reduced overall health spending as their primary motivation.

In Central Ohio, BMW Financial Services Inc. opened a medical clinic at its 850-worker Hilliard office last fall. And Columbus-based Worthington Industries Inc. (NYSE:WOR) has run a clinic on site for years.